September 19, 2009—Robertson Stadium hosted a volatile match
between two teams competing for seeding in the playoffs. Historically, Houston
opened the game with two goals in five minutes, through Brian Ching and Geoff
Cameron.

RSL battled back before the halftime break, as Kyle Beckerman
finished a classy interplay in the 27th minute. The comeback stumbled in the 32nd
minute, though, when Real’s Jámison Olave was shown a straight red for a hard
foul on Brad Davis.

Despite being down to ten men, Salt Lake continued pressing
for the equalizer, and it came in the 61st minute, through a crafty move by
Yura Movsisyan.

However, the Dynamo had the final say. Davis struck a
gorgeous long-range blast in the 81st minute that left Nick Rimando flailing at
air and ripped the side netting. Before it was all over, the bad blood spilled
over again as Ching was ejected for an off-the-ball incident.

What's at
stake?

Salt Lake and Houston both have hopes of contending for the
Western Conference title, and an early-season result would send a statement
about the chances of making their hopes a reality.

RSL come to town with the collective bulls-eye of the league
on their MLS Cup-carrying backs. They started the season off well, demolishing
the San Jose Earthquakes on the road. The star was Argentine midfielder Javier Morales, who scored two lovely goals and set up a third in the 3-0 win. Getting a second away result would
continue their goal of improving on their poor 2009 road record.

Houston opened the season with a road draw against in-state
rivals FC Dallas. A win against the reigning champs would send an early message
that the Dynamo are again one of the top teams in the West and the league.

Heroes
& villains:

Geoff
Cameron v. Kyle Beckerman—Going back to his days with the Colorado Rapids,
Beckerman has always had feisty games against Houston. His work-rate and
careful possession may cause problems for Houston’s revamped central midfield. Cameron
comes off a lukewarm performance in the opener playing in the new role as the
team’s attacking central midfielder. Cameron must try to get box to box and
find space between the midfield and the back line, pulling Beckerman out of
position.